Chef Tim Says...

Dr. Tim Says....

Unsaturated Fats

The best part of all of the controversy over fats in the last two decades
has been that the research has proven just how good for you fat is. As
with everything it is the quality of the fats that's key. We've
come to know that unsaturated fats, especially monounsaturated fats like
Omega 3 fats, prevent disease.

There's been so much research about fats and I could write a whole
book. One of my favorite studies came from Martha Morris and her colleagues.
They studied 815 senior citizens to evaluate the role diet might play
in Alzheimer's Disease. They found a clear correlation between diets
high in saturated fat and trans fats and the risk of Alzheimer's
Disease. The results showed almost double the risk of Alzheimer's
dementia in those eating the most of these types of fats.

Interestingly, total fat didn't matter nor did whether the saturated
fat was of animal origin. But eating more fats from vegetable sources
was protective against those in the study having Alzheimer's. Also
eating a higher proportion of polyunsaturated to saturated fats was key
to prevention. The research showed that consuming more unsaturated fats
even blunts the risks of eating a higher percentage of trans fats.

One of the best sources we have for unsaturated fats are nuts, seeds
or their oils. While these ingredients do have a lot of calories, this
may not be as much of an issue (good quality calories = good quality health).
Even when using all the oil or nuts as they wanted those in another study
didn't gain any weight. During the research two groups received
either as much extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or nuts as they wished. Interestingly,
there was no weight gain with the users of nuts and EVOO.

The studies on fish alone are so compelling for prevention and even
treatment of disease and those with the highest levels of monounsaturated
fats have been shown to be protective.

So this is the good stuff and the best part is that there are a lot
of great foods to choose from.

Fish

Here are the approximate amounts of Omega-3 fats per 120g serving (120
g of fish/meat is about the size of a deck of cards and is just over four
ounces).

Atlantic salmon

2,400 mg

smoked salmon

2000 mg

canned salmon

1,000 mg

sardines

3,000 mg

snapper

550 mg

rainbow trout

600 mg

tuna

1,200 mg

canned tuna

290 mg

shark

500 mg

orange roughy

140 mg

crayfish

300 mg

oysters (12)

1,000 mg

shrimp

200 mg

blue mussel

500 mg

squid/scallops/calamari

400 mg

halibut

2,000 mg

grouper

280 mg

Oils / Fats

Olive oil - This is the granddaddy of "healthy" fats and
well established as being really good for you. I generally measure all
my fats and oils and use them carefully (especially because a lot of folks
using Dr. Gourmet recipes are working at losing weight).

Get yourself a good quality extra virgin olive oil for making salads,
dressings, sauces and the like. Use less expensive olive oils for cooking
if you are on a budget. I like using an oil sprayer because it lets me
easily coat a pan or food without using a lot of oil.

Grapeseed oil - This is as good as and may actually be better for you
than olive oil. In some studies it has been shown to improve cholesterol
profiles better than olive oil. Not quite the same range of flavors that
you might find in all of the different olive oils on the market but I
love it because of this. I use it when I don't want a lot of bright
fruity flavors in a recipe. It also it has a very high "smoke point." This
is the temperature where oil burns, and this makes grapeseed oil a great
choice for searing and other high temp cooking.

Canola oil - I don't use canola oil as much as I used to because
I like grapeseed oil so much. It is, however, a great choice for cooking
and baking (and it's less expensive).

Nuts / Seeds

Take your pick here. There is a mountain of research on almost every
kind of nut or seed now. While a lot of the studies have been funded by
the growers, the conclusions are particularly compelling. Everything from
walnuts to almonds to pistachios. I keep small amounts of nuts on hand
for use in a lot of recipes. I generally purchase raw, unsalted nuts and
seeds and keep them in plastic bags tightly closed.

Misc.

Avocados are full of monounsaturated fat. While they are technically
a fruit, these lovely guys are a great source of really healthy and great
quality calories.

Olives, like avocados, are also a fruit and chock full of not just flavor
but great quality monounsaturated fats.